2021 hyundai i30 elite hatch 11 9xz3
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Ken Gratton12 Nov 2020
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Hyundai i30 - What you need to know

Hyundai’s small hatchback and sedan models now carry the same name for the first time since 2007, doubling the choice for i30 buyers

Not since Hyundai Australia adopted the European ‘i30’ badge for its small hatch back in 2007 has the importer offered both a sedan and a hatchback in the same model range.

Prior to that the small car – in both hatch and sedan body styles – was named ‘Elantra’, a badge that is now being retired following the introduction of an all-new sedan marketed in Australia as the Hyundai i30 sedan.

Where the i30 sedan is new and based on a different (K3) platform, the latest i30 hatchback is basically a facelift, which means that the two body styles are not directly comparable on price or specification, even though the trim levels may sound the same.

It makes for a confusing situation, with the sedan variants generally more expensive than their i30 hatchback counterparts, the i30 Active trim level being the one exception.

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As well as all that, the i30 hatch comes in a basic entry-level form that has no equivalent in the sedan range and, prior to the hatchback’s facelift, was sold as the i30 Go.

Where the two body styles do align is in the engine department. Lower-priced variants run a 2.0-litre engine and higher-priced models are powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged unit. Output for each engine corresponds equally across the hatchback and sedan models.

Prices range from $23,420 to $36,220 plus on-road costs for the hatchbacks and from $24,790 to $37,290 plus ORCs for the sedans. Those prices don’t include the i30 N, which continues in its current form until an update arrives next year.

And equipped with all that background knowledge, it’s time to begin traipsing through the quagmire of Hyundai i30 standard specifications and options, starting from the entry-level i30 hatch:
• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Full-size alloy spare wheel
• 8.0-inch infotainment touch-screen
• Manual air-conditioning
• Auto-on halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights
• Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Adaptive cruise control
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Driver fatigue detection
• Lane assist
• Rear-view camera with rear parking sensors

i30 Options

Hyundai charges $495 for premium paint, in the case of both the hatch and the sedan. The same seven-colour palette is offered for the two body styles, as follows: Polar White, Phantom Black, Fluidic Metal, Amazon Grey, Intense Blue, Fiery Red and Lava Orange. Of those colours, Polar white is the one solid colour that costs nothing extra. Only the N Line variants can be ordered in Lava Orange.

Safety and Driver Assistance

The standard active safety package for the Hyundai i30 hatch and sedan is labelled Smartsense by the manufacturer.

Even in the entry-level i30 hatch, Smartsense includes high beam assist, driver fatigue monitoring, forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane keep assist, lane following assist and adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go. Manual variants are not offered with the stop-and-go function, of course.

The sedan’s version of Smartsense is much more sophisticated than the hatchback’s. While the hatch will detect pedestrians and cyclists, it will only warn the driver, not apply the brakes, whereas the sedan’s AEB system will operate in those scenarios.

The sedan will also register the presence of another vehicle and trigger the AEB over a slightly larger range of speeds, hitting the brakes fully for a stopped vehicle while travelling at speeds between 10 and 75km/h (10 and 55km/h for the hatchback).

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Blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, safe exit warning and rear-view monitor with parking guidance become available as standard in the i30 Elite hatch. This is largely true for the i30 Elite sedan as well, although the i30 Active sedan does feature rear-view monitor with parking guidance, and the i30 Elite sedan goes one step better than its hatchback counterpart by offering parking collision avoidance and AEB while reversing.

Other than the N Line and N Line Premium models, which are limited to a temporary-use space-saver spare wheel, the i30 is equipped with full-size spare tyres on alloy wheels to match the road wheels.

Tyre pressure monitoring is standard across the range, but the N Line and N Line Premium grades are the only variants fitted as standard with LED headlights.

Both the sedan and hatch come with frontal impact airbags, side-impact airbags to protect the thorax of the front seat occupants and side curtain airbags to protect the head of each outboard occupant.

The sedan makes do without the driver’s knee airbag fitted to the hatch. There are two ISOFIX anchorage points at the base of the outboard rear seats, and three top-tether anchorage points, the middle point allowing the fitment of a non-ISOFIX seat in the centre position.

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Infotainment, Comfort and Convenience

If you appreciate the convenience of wipers that will operate automatically at the first spot of moisture on the windscreen, best set your sights on the Elite grade or higher. You won’t get this in the basic i30 hatch or the Active trim level.

Keyless starting is another feature that’s exclusive to the i30 variants trimmed to the Elite level or higher, and the Elite sedan offers remote starting as well.

Lower-priced variants come with a six-speaker audio system, but if you want an upgraded audio and a seventh speaker in the hatch, or an eighth in the sedan, you’ll need to order your i30 in Elite trim or N Line Premium.

For that extra money, the i30 Elite hatch comes with an Infinity audio, versus the BOSE audio fitted to the higher-spec sedans.

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The Elite/N Line Premium variants also offer satellite navigation, a 10.25-inch infotainment touch-screen and digital radio. Inductive charging for smartphones is only available as standard in the higher grades of the i30 hatch – from Elite up – but can be had in the i30 Active sedan.

Manual air-conditioning is standard for i30 (hatch) and i30 Active, but every other variant is standard with dual-zone climate control. Just the i30 N Line Premium features front seat heating and cooling.

Only the i30 Elite sedan comes with a hands-free function for opening the boot. Electrically-adjustable mirrors with heating and auto fold-in facility are standard right across the range. Exit lights are standard from the Elite grade and up.

All variants come with power windows front and rear, but the i30 N Line Premium is also the only trim level that is standard with a sunroof, and only the i30 N Line Premium comes with a power-adjustable driver’s seat.

This variant and the lower-specification i30 N Line are the only two to be fitted with front sports seats (manually adjustable in the more affordable model). Every trim level in the i30 range scores leather upholstery, with the exception of the bare-bones i30 hatch.

The entry-level i30 hatch is the one grade fitted with 16-inch alloy wheels, Active and Elite grades riding on 17-inch wheels instead, and the N Line and N Line Premium moving up to 18-inch alloys.

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Engine and transmission choices

Powertrain choices for the i30 (excluding the fire-breathing i30 N), run the gamut from a 2.0-litre direct-injected four-cylinder for the i30 hatch, the i30 Active and i30 Elite to a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder for the N Line and N Line Premium models.

The 2.0-litre engine produces 120kW and 203Nm in the hatch, but just 117kW and 191Nm for the sedan. What the newer sedan lacks in engine output, it makes up in fuel economy, rating a combined-cycle figure of 7.0L/100km with automatic transmission versus 7.4 for the hatch with its 2.0-litre engine and automatic transmission combo.

The only variant to offer the 2.0-litre engine with a (six-speed) manual transmission is the entry-level i30 hatch. All other 2.0-litre variants are equipped as standard with a six-speed automatic. There are other manual transmission options in the range, however, those being the N Line and N Line Premium grades, which can be specified with either a manual gearbox or a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission.

The engine under the bonnet of these high-spec models – the turbocharged 1.6-litre four-cylinder – develops 150kW and 265Nm for a combined-cycle fuel economy figure of 7.5L/100km with the manual ’box or 7.1L/100km for the DCT.

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Verdict on the Hyundai i30

Hyundai has often sold on the strength of its affordability and value for money, but as value-packed and safe as the basic i30 hatchback is, it’s not the car I would choose first from the i30 range. Nor is the i30 N Line Premium, at the other end of the spectrum. I just don’t need a sunroof, heated/cooled front seats or even satellite navigation.

The i30 I would choose would offer hatchback practicality and slightly more compact external dimensions for parking in tight places. So that leaves the i30 sedan out of the picture.

LED headlights are quite enticing, so that’s your lower-priced i30 hatch variants struck off the list too.

Based on my previous experience with this engine, I would definitely prefer a variant with the turbocharged 1.6-litre powerplant, because it’s refined and performs well for its capacity. It’s an ideal choice for a car of this size, in fact, if you demand a good blend of output and economy.

Now match that to the dual-clutch transmission option and you’re on a winner… the Hyundai i30 N Line hatch.

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How much does the Hyundai i30 cost?
Hatch
2.0 manual – $23,420
2.0 auto – $25,420
Active 2.0 auto – $26,920
Elite 2.0 auto – $30,220
N Line 1.6 manual – $29,420
N Line 1.6 auto – $31,420
N Line Premium 1.6 manual – $34,220
N Line Premium 1.6 auto – $36,220

Sedan
Active 2.0 manual – $24,790
Active 2.0 auto – $26,790
Elite 2.0 auto – $30,790
N Line 1.6 manual – $30,290
N Line 1.6 auto – $32,290
N Line Premium 1.6 auto – $37,290
*Prices exclude on-road costs

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Written byKen Gratton
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